Re: [microsound] Re: [micro$$$$$$$$$ound]

[Neil Wiernik <neil@xxxxxxx>]

Im coming for the same school of thought as your self this is why I have
such a hard time morally when I see requests like that.
I to play out often both out of and in town and never make a request that
I dont see are part of the bare essentials to cover my personal costs.
Its not about making a profits its about sharting your ideas with people
getting your ideas accross to them seeing thier reactions ect ect..
this whole music for profit thing dones not sit well with me...
in fact after this many years of promoting its the one thing that has
tunred me off more then any thing else to it all. Not the low turn outs,
not the problems with club owners, not the fact that very little people
understand what its about, not the lack of media support for it, all this
I can deal with in fact I understand it. Its the bloated artist egos that
I cant understand. since when does any fringe sort of music deserve to be
treated economically on par with the way a stadium rock band is?
If I could book a microsound artist into a large venue and get a public
willing to come out for it and pay 30 to 40 dollars a head or even 20
dollars a ticket I wouldnt have as much of a problem with it. But when all
that can be done with such artists are small venues with low ticket prices
where does the microsound artist get off asking for as much as some large
venue artists... there needs to be some kind of relaity check in place.
And no this is not sour grapes as I continue to do these events out of my
own personal interest in the music I just think we all need to stop and
look a the reality of it all, just becasue there are a few events such a
mutek, sonar, fcmm, tranmissions) that can afford to pay artists fees like
this and do it up in posh stylie does not mean that some guy who does not
have the granting support system in place like these larger festivals do
can afford to do it up in the same way. I think as artists we need to do
that and take into consideration each and every booking as a seperate
buisness venture. SOme times you have a large investor and some times you
dont, some times you buy into some thing that you gain from and some times
you loose from it. But in the long run more people get to taste your
product as a result of these lost and gained ventures.

Neil...



On Sat, 6 Oct 2001, jean paul l'asthme wrote:

>
>--- Neil Wiernik <neil@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> I get insane requests for gurreentees of hundreds of
>> dollars in USD of
>> course (even when they are from germany or some
>> other place), requests for
>> first class flights, delux hotel rooms, ect ect...
>
>this is very disappointing to hear for a few reasons.
>one, which perhaps was a very naive mistake on my
>behalf, is that i assumed that somehow the digital
>arts were a little progressive (ideologically
>speaking)
>to at least the extent that we understand that these
>sorts of things (silly posh spoiled requests) are not
>essential...  secondly, it is sad to think that more
>performers are not willing to spread the gospel of
>their music purely because it is an honor to have the
>opportunity to communicate that way...  as a computer
>musician myself, i've played many shows without
>expecting compensation, and accepted a residency at a
>club for free, not because i think the exposure is an
>incredible opportunity (though, if luck plays itself
>out, i suppose that can happen too), but because i
>hope
>that someone who just happens to wander in that night
>not knowing what to expect can hopefully enjoy what my
>music has to say.  i'll be playing my first show far
>away from my home later this month, and i'll be doing
>it at a loss, but it's exciting to know that people in
>some far off place, who would never make it to this
>club, or never even know my music existed can still
>hear it... which is not to imply that i think that my
>music is some amazing profound thing that must be
>heard
>by all, but it is the way which i can express myself
>and communicate with others in my own language, and i
>love that i can do that.  i hope that if things do
>take
>off for me at some point, i don't get that bloated
>sense of self worth that seems to come with attention
>or adulation.  i can safely say though, that even if
>i do end up amounting to nothing monetarily (which is
>to say, if i keep at these curse'd retail jobs
>forever)
>i will continue to make music, at a loss, or breaking
>even, or at whatever profit i can manage, purely
>because i must do it...
>naively,
>gregory
>
>
>=====
>*************************
>cd-r's for sale or trade*******************
>jean paul l'asthme: 'unstuck your eyeglue'*
>********************************&**********
>
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